IHA Announces Global Forum Agenda, Dates

The International Housewares Association will hold its 2014 Global Forum, June 17-18 in Chicago. The annual event will include overviews by key housewares retailers from Australia, Brazil, the Czech Republic and Kuwait along with sessions on international business issues and networking opportunities.

The Global Forum is sponsored by the International Business Council, a special interest group of International Housewares Association members dedicated to increasing their international business. It is open to IBC and non-IBC members and sessions are geared toward both novice and experienced sales managers.

The program opens on June 17 with an Executive Education session, “Rethinking the 4 P’s” by Johnathan Knowles, CEO of Type 2 Consulting. In his session Knowles will explore the way the traditional four P’s of marketing — product, price, place and promotion — have fostered narrow, product-focused strategies in today’s business-to-business environment. Working in partnership with Thunderbird School of Global Management professor Rich Ettenson and using insights from a five-year study of more than 500 managers and customers in multiple countries and across a wide range of B2B industries, Knowles has reframed the 4 Ps into SAVE: Solutions, Access, Value and Education. He will explain how SAVE can help housewares executives create new strategies in the new B2B world.

Representatives from retailers The Homewares Group in Australia, Etna in Brazil, UTC in Czech Republic and Safat Home in Kuwait will discuss their markets and explain their goals and strategies for working with housewares suppliers. Other sessions include an overview of the Russian market by Chef, a key distributor of home and housewares products, and two Strategic Problem Solving sessions where attendees can discuss international topics and issues in small group settings.

For attendees new to the IBC or new to exporting, “IBC 101: International Essentials” will provide an overview of the international marketplace, including brief discussions on market selection, export mechanics, distribution models, international pricing and INCO terms.